Sonic the Hedgehog: Pains of the Foot
by DragonKing1
Summary: After Sonic and Knuckles are injured, how can they stop Dr. Eggman's plot to take over the world? This one chapter story depicts the teamwork of the heroes.


It was a normal day on the planet Earth. All was well, and times were good. Since the ARK Crisis, people had become much closer and had begun to enjoy life. Sonic the hedgehog, the world's savior, was having a nice race with his buddies, Tails and Knuckles, through the streets of Station Square. Weaving in and out of cars, the three heroes charged down roads and breezed through alleyways, trying to outdo each other. Sonic saw a ramp coming up. He started to run faster, so fast that his legs blended together in a red blur. The newly paved street became a shower of gravel and pebbles as Sonic ran over it.  
  
The ramp came up fast. As soon as he felt his big toe touch the end of the ramp, Sonic jumped into the air. He smiled as he felt the wind blow past his body, which sped through the air and landed on top of a huge truck. Sonic relaxed for a moment while on the truck and then jumped off to continue the race. Tails knew that he had to catch up with his friend. He used a trick that Sonic had taught him awhile before: he spun his tails together until they whipped around like a propeller. The force of his spinning tails shot him down the street like a ball out of a cannon. As he ran down the street, Tails' feet began to burn from the friction of his speed. He came closer and closer to Sonic, and was back in the race.  
  
Knuckles, however, didn't have a particular speed up method. He waited until Tails was far enough away, and he ducked into an alleyway. The echidna jogged up to a dumpster, and took out a capsule containing Speed Shoes that he had hidden there before the race. He took off his previous shoes, and slipped the Speed Shoes over his green-socked feet, wiggling his toes as he did so to get used to the new shoes. As soon as they were on, a tingling sensation started in the soles of Knuckles' feet. They spread through his feet, causing them to vibrate. Knuckles grinned, and jumped back out onto the street. He couldn't see Sonic or Tails anymore, but that didn't matter. A few seconds later, his feet squirmed inside his shoes and he exploded down the street. Knuckles could barely see where he was going, and didn't want to hurt innocent civilians, so he jumped to the side of the road. Holding his hands out, he charged through parked cars, shredding them with his knuckles. He soon found himself caught up with Sonic and Tails.  
  
The three continued their race down the streets. Knuckles noticed his chance to win and, with the help of the Speed Shoes, ran faster. He saw a red pole and grabbed onto it. Sonic watched in wonder as he ran while Knuckles spun on the pole. The tricky echidna let go, and glided through the air. Sonic saw that he was headed towards another pole, and ran as fast as he could towards it. His shoes started to melt as he came close to breaking the sound barrier. The hedgehog managed to reach the pole before Knuckles, and he jumped into the air. Using a trick he had known for a very long time, Sonic curled into a ball and used the Insta-Blade, which cut the pole in half. Knuckles landed, and Tails passed him. The Speed Shoes had worn off, and Knuckles watched as his chances of winning went out the window. Sonic hadn't slowed down and was several yards ahead of Tails. The hedgehog curled into a ball, and took off like a rocket, using his Spin Dash to beat Tails to the finish line.  
  
As soon as he got there, Sonic sat down and took off what was left of his shoes. A few scraps were all that remained of them. His pure white socks were jet black from running on the ground. Sonic pulled off his socks. His feet were bigger than Tails and Knuckles, and they were smoking. He rubbed his blue toes to get the feeling back in them, and blew on the soles of his feet to get them to stop burning. Tails crossed the finish line next, and was very tired. He was glad to come in second. Knuckles collapsed as he passed the finish line, kicking off the Speed Shoes as he did so, which had also been reduced to small scraps in his rush to keep up with Sonic after he passed the finish line. The echidna's lime green socks were tattered. He peeled them off of his tired feet, which were the second biggest, and examined them. His red toes twitched as blood returned to them. He blew on the soles of his feet just as Sonic had done to stop the burning. Tails laughed at the sight of them, and had to carry them, since they had no shoes and refused to get their feet dirty running back up the hill. The heroes were unaware, however, of a plot that was unfolding many miles away, in the robot city of Metropolis.  
  
It was there that Dr. Eggman, a ruthless scientist, thought up his next plan to rule the world. It seemed simple after awhile. He decided to release Metal Sonic to trick Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails into going to his trap. Then Eggman would destroy them! He thought it was a good plan, and set to work programming Metal Sonic's orders. Eggman knew that before any of his plans could be used, he would have to get rid of Sonic the hedgehog, the only one who had managed to foil his previous plans. It would only be a matter of time before the world was his!  
  
Back on South Island, Sonic and Knuckles were soaking their sore feet in warm water to make them feel better. Tails shined up his collection of robots, and went for a walk through town. While he was gone, Sonic and Knuckles rubbed some ointment on their scorched feet and turned on the television. They were watching "Fishing with Big the Cat" when a news bulletin interrupted the show. The two friends watched as a news reporter showed video clips of Metal Sonic destroying a series of buildings in the city? Sonic and Knuckles knew that they had to do something, but when they tried to get up, their injured feet paralyzed them in pain. They were out of luck, helpless until Tails returned from his walk. But then, Sonic remembered the line of rings that stretched from his room to the city! Sonic hobbled into his room, carefully maneuvering his feet around various toys and other objects scattered on the floor. He finally reached his closet. The bulb had blown out, so he had to trust his instincts.  
  
Sonic winced for a moment as the carpet tingled his feet. He blindly touched different objects with his sensitive toes, finally coming apon the item he was looking for, the Light Shoes! He carefully and slowly wriggled his feet into them, walked into the living room, where Knuckles was once again soaking his feet. Sonic told Knuckles that he was going to the city. Knuckles was doubtful, but was glad that he wasn't going. Sonic opened his bedroom window, and jumped out. As he fell, he touched the first ring with his pinkey. As soon as he came in contact with it, his body shot through the rings, collecting them as he passed them. 50 rings later, Sonic found himself in the middle of the city. He saw Metal Sonic immediately, using lasers to burn down a building. Metal Sonic's radar picked up Sonic, and they faced each other. They were ready to fight.  
  
The engine in Metal's chest began to spin rapidly. He shot towards Sonic, who jumped over him. Metal jumped towards Sonic, but Sonic countered with a Spin Attack. The robot sent out a laser, which forced Sonic to run out of the way. Metal's sensors automatically picked up on Sonic's injured feet, and the robot stomped on them with his own, sending Sonic into a fit of pain. Sonic jumped again, and kicked Metal. The attack did nothing but further injure Sonic's feet. Sonic hopped around in pain. Metal's eyes flashed. A missile appeared from his arm and he prepared to launch it at Sonic. Just before he fired it however, a huge hammer smashed him over the head, sending him to the ground. Sonic groaned when he saw that Amy had done the attack, and she smiled when she saw him. As she ran towards Sonic to give her a hug, Metal aimed his laser at her. Sonic noticed this, but couldn't do a thing about it. At the last second, Tails, who was on his way back from his walk, shot Metal Sonic with a laser of his own, from his laser gun. Metal collapsed. Tails helped Sonic up, and Amy hugged him.  
  
Metal wasn't done yet. He got up and grabbed Amy. The robot then charged down the street and out of sight. Tails grabbed Sonic and airlifted him as they followed Metal. They flew through the outskirts of town, before arriving at Green Hill, a famous area. Tails was too tired to fly, so Sonic decided to go after Metal alone. He used a Spin Dash, holding in his pain. Meanwhile, Eggman laughed as he watched Sonic head straight towards his trap. Sonic almost forgot about the pain when he stepped on a bunch of spikes, sending him into a fit of pain. He tore off one of his shoes and counted his toes, sighing when he saw that they were all there. He wiggled them, and winced as he put the shoe back on.  
  
It didn't take Sonic long to reach a huge factory like area, the entrance to Metropolis. He wanted to go inside, but knew that he couldn't make it past the groups of robots with his injured feet. He was just about to give up hope when he noticed an Invincibility box close to him. He broke it open, and felt the familiar feeling of power enter his body. All pain disappeared, and Sonic raced through Metropolis as fast as he could, charging through robots as he did so. He crashed into Eggman's base, and almost made it to Eggman himself before the invincibility wore off, sending Sonic back into his fits of pain when he walked on his feet. Suddenly, the room sealed up. Water started pouring in, and Sonic shrieked in fright. He hated water, but it looked as if he was going to go for a swim. Just before half of the room was submerged in water, a wall exploded, and Knuckles walked in inside of a battle suit designed by Tails.  
  
The water flowed out, and Knuckles jumped out of the battle suit. He explained to Sonic that his feet were better, and Sonic climbed into the battle suit. Together they crashed into Eggman's room. Eggman laughed, and told Sonic and Knuckles that a bomb powered up by the Chaos Emeralds was set to blow up the city. Sonic and Knuckles were forced to let Eggman go. They returned home, and Knuckles left to go to Floating Island for the Master Emerald. He used the Mystic Melody to transport him there. On the island, he walked to the shrine of the Master Emerald, removing his shoes as he walked on the holy land. He prayed to the ancient Echidnas and borrowed the Master Emerald. He put his shoes back on, and left with the Mystic Melody.  
  
Back on South Island, Sonic was resting. Tails went with Knuckles to Casinopolis, where the bomb was located. Knuckles finally managed to locate the Chaos Emeralds, and he activated the Master Emerald, which shut off the bomb. The two rejoiced, but gaped in awe when Dr. Eggman appeared in a huge fighting robot! Knuckles and Tails knew that they couldn't defeat Eggman, until Knuckles made the Master Emeralds upgrade the Chaos Emeralds into the Super Emeralds! Knuckles then became Hyper Knuckles with them. Eggman tried to retreat, but Knuckles created a huge earthquake that destroyed the robot. Eggman started to run away, but he ran straight into a bumper, sending him flying into the sky. Tails and Knuckles started home, having saved the day.  
  
Sonic was sitting barefoot in his chair at home, watching "Late Night Cooking with E-102" when Knuckles and Tails returned home late in the night. Sonic scratched his big toe and asked where Amy was. Knuckles gasped as he realized that Amy must've still been in Metropolis. To cover up his mistake, Knuckles pretended that Amy was out looking for Sonic. Sonic shuddered for a moment, and then smiled. Knuckles pulled his shoes off and peeled off his green socks from his bright red feet. His big toes twitched as they felt the cool air. Tails also smiled, taking off his shoes too. As he pulled off his fluffy white socks and wiggled his furry golden toes, Tails laughed, saying that he was the only one not to get injured. Sonic shrugged, saying that Tails and Knuckles had to do all the work anyway. Knuckles and Tails looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded. They jumped on Sonic, and tickled him all over, especially on his feet. Sonic exploded in laughter, and everyone took to tickling each other's feet. They laughed for a long time, grateful that they wouldn't have to deal with another of Eggman's schemes for awhile. 


End file.
